The Advanced Light Source (ALS) Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellowship program provides challenging opportunities to conduct research and instrument development in areas supporting the scientific programs of the Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and the ALS that include physical, chemical, material, energy, environmental, geological, and biological sciences. Fellows pursue individual research projects as part of collaborative research teams comprising members of ALS staff and the user community, and are exposed to current scientific challenges that can be tackled using advanced synchrotron radiation tools. They share and exchange innovative scientific ideas and techniques to enhance their skills and professional training. To view examples of projects and details about previous fellowship recipients, see ALS Postdoctoral Fellowship Highlights.

Fellows will have access to a valuable combination of outstanding professional scientific and engineering staff, research instrumentation, and other facilities available at the ALS, as well as potential access to other LBNL user facilities including the Molecular Foundry, the National Center of Electron Microscopy, and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center.

ALS Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellowships normally provide only partial salary support. Applicants must contact one or more ALS staff members to discuss areas of common research interest, to agree on a potential research project, and to locate sources of collaborative funding, possibly through an external postdoctoral advisor, a collaborating LBNL division, or an external fellowship.

A monthly salary will be paid at a rate competitive with current ALS postdoctoral fellows. Additional funding support will be available for research-related materials, supplies and services, professional development, and research-related travel. Postdoctoral fellows are also eligible for mid-level career benefits.

Program Objectives

The ALS Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellowship program seeks to identify outstanding individuals who will collaborate closely with ALS staff and users in new and emerging scientific and engineering research fields. The program will provide advanced training for careers paths that involve x-ray instrumentation and synchrotron radiation science. We are particularly interested in identifying outstanding scientists from historically underrepresented groups.

Eligibility

Applicants must be legally eligible to work in the United States, regardless of citizenship, and have received a doctoral research degree from an accredited academic institution in an appropriate scientific or engineering discipline in the three years before the appointment start date. Awards are initially for one year with the possibility of renewal for a second and/or third year, contingent on satisfactory annual performance reviews and funding availability. Renewals will be evaluated at the end of each year.

All contingencies of an appointment offer must be met before the Fellowship term begins. If an award is offered to a doctoral degree candidate, the candidate must present acceptable evidence that all formal academic doctoral degree requirements have been met before starting the fellowship.

Application Procedure

As noted above, individuals interested in applying for a fellowship should start by contacting one or more ALS staff members (see ALS Beamlines Directory for beamline information and associated scientists) to discuss possible projects and to identify external sources of matching funds. Applicants must then submit a completed ALS Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellowship application online via Berkeley Lab's Current Job Openings web site (requisition 77677) that includes: an application form, C.V., publication list, statement of research to be performed (up to 3 pages), and three references.

Selection Procedure and Criteria

All Fellowship packets will be received, processed, and reviewed by the ALS Postdoctoral Fellowship Committee. Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis. Applications will be evaluated based on the qualifications of the applicant, the merits of the proposed collaborative research, and the alignment of the project with ALS strategic priorities.

Obligations

Fellowships involve a full-time commitment to the research program, and the fellow must be in residence at ALS/LBNL during the entire period of the fellowship. Fellowship research must be conducted in accordance with a plan that meets the overall research needs of the ALS.

Fellows are required to sign and abide by the appointment letter, the terms of appointment, and other required ALS/LBNL policies. They are also required to submit a final report of research accomplishments to the ALS, acknowledge the support of ALS/DOE/BES in publications and presentations related to research conducted during the fellowship, and submit these publications to the ALS publication database.

For More Information

Please contact
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, ALS Deputy Division Director for Science, for additional information about this program,